To all my ladies, gentlemen, and those identifying anywhere else on the spectrum who have ever experienced insecurity with their weight: this one goes out to you.

I'm sure we all know by now that the introduction of media in our society has turned our focus to our bodies. We are blatantly told what should be beautiful or ideal and what shouldn't be on a regular basis. Far too often, that means anyone with even a little extra weight on their bodies is left feeling like something's wrong with them like they don't fit in.

Living in the fishbowl that is social media has only made this worse. We idolize skinny and perfect when, in reality, people rarely ever look like that. Believe it or not, the people you think are perfect have their own insecurities they edit out for the internet; we all do.

Everybody has fat, but that doesn't mean they are fat. Unless you're a fat cell, you're not fat. Your body has internal organs and bones to protect, and it needs this padding. That doesn't make you any less beautiful. You are a living, breathing, human being created out of nothing but a few dust particles and heat that were left together in empty space.

That right there makes you a miracle, and I think we can all agree that miracles are beautiful.

Now, maybe you don't like the number you see on the scale, or maybe you don't like the size of your jeans, but this is your body. Own it. Your goal shouldn't be skinny or the smallest number on the scale. All this will do is create a damaging cycle with yourself, and it will ultimately lead to your unhappiness.

Happiness and beauty come in all shapes and sizes. As we continue through 2019, I encourage everyone not to focus on the scale or the size of your love handles. Instead, find out what healthy means for you and your body. Screw what beauty standards say.